Appreciating Hand Made Crochet - Crochet Pricing Recommendations

How much should we charge when selling crochet work? The formula I went by was double the cost of your materials plus half. I never the thought that was enough, so used the formula as a starting point only.

Crochet is under appreciated with the time that it takes to make larger projects. It can take several weeks or longer to make a large afghan. The same is true when making doily's. Intricate lace can take days and weeks to complete depending on the size.

Crochet lace doily's have always been my favorite to crochet. When I would sell my work at craft events, people would tell me that it was so expensive. Many of the doily's may take two days or more to complete a doily! I wondered how many of them would go to work for $15 or $25 over two days. $15-$25 was an average price that I asked for each doily. To me the doily's were under-priced! There were always some that would pay the price I was asking.

Realistically you will not be able to get all of your time, just don't forget to include some of your time in the price of your work. People who sell their handmade crochet tend to under price their work. I challenge everyone selling crochet to ask just a little bit more.

Comments

I think your time is valuable and should be treated as such. For instance, this lady asked me to make a door knob and a toaster cover as prop for a play she's doing. (Mind you, her character is supposed to be a crazy cat lady who crochet, and my work was going to be the prop she's going to make fun of.)

She didn't even offered to pay for it. I mean c'mon, at least cover the cost of the materials. I told her I'm charging $5 for the door knob cover, and $15 for toaster cover. That's only $20. People go out to a movie cost more than that. Yet, when after I told her that, it's nothing but crickets.

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts on pricing. I do feel conflicted when pricing items. I have special order right now that I have no idea how to charge for. I also recently did a repair on an afghan that was made by another person years ago. It was in bad condition, I purchased yarn and made all the repairs as needed. She offered nothing. Is it because crochet is considered a "hobby" that it is not respected?

whenever I sell an afghan, which is about always the size of a full size bed, I usually charge about 35-40 dollars. I know that is probably way to low considering the time and so forth that is put into the afghan, but I dont want anyone to feel the price is to steep for them. Of course, depending on the complexity of the afghan the price may go up accordingly.

Hand made items are priceless... at least here in Italy, where some traditional crafts like crochet or embroidery are practised by "old ladies", and people are not always aware of the time that takes to make an afghan or a lace doily, let apart the cost of materials.I have a little jewelry shop with a friend where we sell and repair jewelry and most of the time people complain because we charge 8 euros to repair a fake pearls necklace, stringed with knots as a real one!

Pricing hand made items is tough. On one had its is a hobby that you do to pass the time. On the second hand, once someone request an item specialy made that makes it 'Work'. And you must consider your work time valuable.

I always cruz other sites to see what other crafters are charging. Etsy is a good site to check. You will find a variety of styles and experience levels. You should be able to gauge a good price by comparing your items to what they have for sale there. Also the more detail put in the item the more you can charge. Hope this helps and good luck!

I do recognize this problem so much! I think people who can't crochet themselves don't see it as a piece of art, which it really is. They seem to think they help you stay off the street... Usually prices are only appreciated by fellow crafters, but then again, they are not our customers, since they can often do it themselves. This is really a difficult one, but Theresa, thanks for your thoughts on this one.

thanks for your thoughts; I've never sold anything crocheted, except for a few drawstring mobile phone bags, so I wouldn't know how to price things. But, I will say that the time factor depends on each indivual's way of crocheting: some crochet very fast, while others, like me, are much slower. anyway, thanks and kee up the good work!

I always tell ppl I charge $10/hr with a $5 min plus the cost of materials. Then they ask me .. how long does it take? Baby afghan.. about 2 weeks. I use the same pricing for my crochet & sewing. I've done a good bit of sewing for ppl, but they usually leave me alone on the crocheting, or they'll ask me if I'll teach 'em :P

I have never been able to figure out why crochet is so under valued. If I was an oil painter, I may be able to complete the painting in a day or two, just depending on what is being done. Some oil paintings will go for thousands of dollars. People see paintings with value attached to them and even as assets in estates. Not the same with crochet.

What I would like is for crochet to be valued in the same way and recognized as a fine art.

And Harold, all I can say is you need to charge more. Think about asking double what you have been.

Well, I for one have tried crocheting and I am not good at finishing anything! How many times have I had to take parts out and redo! I very much value handmade crochet items and buy them at any chance I get. My mom is a master Crochet-er and is getting ready to make me a large tablecloth which to me will be something I will cherish and hand down from generation to generation.

My sister's provider asked if I would crochet her daughters a hat. I said, "NO!" She then asked if I would do it if she bought the yarn. Again, I said "NO!"I told her I would teach to her do it herself and she said, "Forget it. I'll buy them one for $1 at the dollar store."Exactly.....

Pricing crochet has the same problems as pricing hand made beadwork -- it's undervalued. And pricing too low helps keep it (either crochet or beadwork or any detailed, skilled handiwork) in the realm of "craft/hobby" rather than art. If you charge too low, it seems like a simple craft that's easy to do. But if you charge too much, then some folks won't want to spend the money. Don't let them force you to undervalue your work, though. A friend's mother is a fantastic knitter who will make custom cardigans for people, sized for their body type, arms, etc. and in whatever colors they desire, yet many feel $30 is too high. Are you kidding?! I understand the frustration of the poster whose sister said she'd rather pay $1 for a hat rather than pay her to make nice ones for her daughters. But caving and pricing too low is what keeps people perceiving that crochet isn't worth what it really is.

I've done beadwork repair that people haven't offered me a dime for doing, even when I had to buy beads or materials -- guess all crafters have this issue, but it's so hard to deal with.

I agree with checking Etsy sites for comparable work. As you get better, gain experience and do more complicated and original designs, your pricing should reflect that.

Thanks for your thoughts on this. Thanks to you, i now know how to crochet! I found you on youtube. You're a fantastic teacher and i really appreciate your willingness to share what you know!! I sell jewelry on etsy and i constantly obsess over pricing. I find on etsy that i have to just put it at a price thats comfortable and dont go lower!!! If it doesn't sell, i'd rather give it as a gift. Craft shows have always been a nightmere for me. I always came away frustrated and p/o'ed from dealing with the comments and looks from people. Grrr! This stuff ain't from walmart PEOPLE!!!Ok, sorry.Your the best!

This is really true. I do crocheting for some ladies who make reborn dolls and for the hours of work I do, the payment aren't really that good. I've seen this for all the year's i've been crocheting, people want the items but they don't want to pay what it's really worth.

amazing work and hand made crafts and art are hard to judge the price.. as they is a lot of work involved.. also wanted to know whether u have the video tutorial and the instructions of these doilys or any other doily.. would love to do this for myself.. pls let me know.

This is what my hubby told me in regards to pricing my ornaments, tree toppers, throws, and filet projects:

It don't eat anything, don't use power, or water. Your work doesn't cost a thing for us to keep it around. SO.... if they don't want to pay what you think it is worth, then don't sell it. It would be a wonderful gift for a birthday, holiday, or shower that we won't have to pay for.

Those are his words. All in all, I look at the time I have invested. I believe that I am an average speed crocheter. My angels, which I posted on facebook and linked to your page, took me about 2 hours to make. I could make about 30 snow flakes, and 15 angels out of one large spool of crochet thread which costs only about 4 bucks. I was charging 6 dollars for my angels and 1.50 for my 3 in. flakes and they sold like hot cakes!

I believe that it is in your personality when it comes to art and craft shows. If you are confident, not cocky, that your work was done well, people are more likely to buy. As for afghans or throws, I make them at about 2.00 per sq ft. on average. This depends on complexity, who I am doing it for, and how busy I am (holidays I charge a little more because I got so much happening that time is being taken away from).

Bottom line is this: My ornaments will last generations if cared for as instructed. Wal Mart's cheap ornaments which are easily broken can cost up to 7 bucks just for one. Mine cant shatter and hurt a child. Thier's can. My throws and afghans are custom made and will last. Wal Mart's will fall apart within a few washings and cost almost the same amount and are no where near as soft and warm.

We need to be more confident and proud of our work. If people who do not appreciate our art don't like the price, they don't have to buy. I would rather hold out for someone that appreciates my work and will treasure and care for it than to sell to someone who wont at twice the price!

i made a few crochet jewellery and kept them for sale at my friend's boutique just 4 days back. i felt my prices were slightly overpriced( a little less than 3 times my making cost) when my friend said to me, "are you sure? i think these are under-priced". She felt I should charge more and pointed out that most women(at least in this part of the world) haggle, hand-made items or not. So, you can over-charge the price by a little, reduce after haggling and still recover your making cost+margin. The stuff I make are not available in any shops here so that's an added advantage for me.

I think a lot depends on what item sells more where you live. Especially where I live, very few people are aware of the existence of crochet and know that it takes time and effort to crochet and yes, they do appreciate it but still wouldn't spend on a crochet doily, table cover or something similar, when there's so much fabric, even plastic alternatives available for lower prices and are a lot easier to maintain.

I belong to a very informal group of knitters, crochets, spinners & quilters who just show up on Wednesday evenings.

Someone recently asked a very experienced knitter how much to charge for hand made work. While I don't remember the amount she quoted, she based the LABOR portion of it on the yardage of yarn, or thread, used.

So, the customer pays the cost of the yarn or thread, and then pays for your work based on yardage.

That sort of depersonalizes it, so that people will not be asked to value your time (and some people do work faster than others) but rather there is an objective standard so that if you crochet a shawl which used 600 yards of lace yarn, first the cost of the lace yarn, perhaps $30, then 600 x (say, 10 cents) would give you $60, or a total of $90 for labor & material, or if you charge 15 cents per yard, then $90 for labor plus $30 for material, for a total of $120 and so on.

As you get more skilled you, you can raise your price per yard because your work is more intricate, and you also work faster so you make more money in two ways.

Developing your market, which takes a great deal of patience,does mean selling at a loss for starters, so don't quit your day job just yet.

I tell customers that I will crochet but I do not aim to pay for the yarn myself and I am in the business of making money. This is not a gift to them. If it is a small item then it is no big deal if I make little but when there is a larger item involved I tell them a fixed price ahead of time. Not afterwards. If I do not trust that they will pay me I ask for a downpayment to buy the yarn. Or make them buy it and then I get the labor on top of it. Hourly wages never go well in handcraft but I aim to make a decent amount or I will not sell my handcraft. I am a professional and I do finish my work as a professional and I warranty my work unless they themself ruin it. I try to buy yarn on sale and try to get the regular price times 3 out of the craft. If it is a larger item I tell them ahead of time how many hours I will work on it and then come to a fixed price I can live with. I try not to undercharge my work but raise my profession in how I present myself and the work itself. Walmart has things made in countries where the rate is not as in ours. Not just that the finishing touches are not the same and when things are washed they must stay also in place. I aim at these finishing touches. So they do not open up after laundering. I also include laundering information with my work. If you go to a taylor you pay the taylor for his or her precise work. So in handcraft we also can expect this. If someone is not willing to pay for it I advice them not to come to me. I want to sell my items and some can be sold cheaper as they are made quicker and yarn times 3 is the least I will make. Baby Blankets cost $45.00. Larger blankets more depending on yarn and time it takes. I make sure people know that cotton and wool are more expensive and mohair as synthetic yarns often. So details of work and material and complications of patterns are important to mention to any customer who does not do handcraft. Handcraft bought by people who can afford them is the answer often.

1. I noticed several people mentioned that the "customer" never offered to pay or something similar. Set a price beforehand ! Unless you want to give someone a gift !!!2. It's hard for ME to realize how much materials cost today so a non-crocheter or knitter does not have a clue. Not to mention time.3. Movie stars do what they like too, but they make millions doing it. Plus, I personally don't think CEO's are worth what they get paid, especially when their company is failing BUT they set their price and someone pays it !4. It may seem a weird way to go about it, but I often just say up front..."oh, you probably wouldn't want to pay what it would cost me to make that." Then when asked why, I explain the considerable time involved. Then if they really want it...they understand why. This may be why bartering was a good thing. Craftsmen often understand the talent, time & costinvolved in creating something that not everyone else can create/or perhaps they could, but don't WANT to. So YOU do !!!

Over the course of my life, Ive made many hand made items, from patchwork quilts, to jumpers, and large bedspreads.

While people appreciate its hand made, and that they have a unique item, or, it was made personally for them. I do swear if you charged minimum wages rates per hour for any item they would cough and say "sorry, cant afford it" this is sadly the price machines have bought us.

Sadly it does seem that hand made unique items are so unlikely to keep you in a warm place to live with food.

My dream would be for my ideal man to come along who earns enough to keep us in food and warmth, and who would be happy for me to crochet and bring in extra money from that. Sadly, Im getting tired of looking. My ideal man is hard enough let alone one who would let me give up my job and let me crochet my time away.

I do think keeping a record of the hours you worked, so people can see how much time went into it is a beneficial thing, for you and them. Then if you have people who see pictures of your items, if you list it took 250 hours to make, maybe they will suddenly realise that even $250 is still quite an insulting amount for it, let alone the fact they probably wouldnt want to pay more than $50-100

ps. Here is where we see the world market have its effect: you can buy crochet doilies in the dollar store. There is no such thing as machine crochet. These are crocheted in China often by women who do such intricate needlework that their eyes go very young, so they have only a few productive years and then they can't even see what they're doing.

Etsy has things of an enormous range of quality and prices, sometimes unrelated.

If you do beautiful work and you need to justify the price, send your customer to the Anthropologie website where they charge substantially for 'off-the-rack' crochet designs while your customer has the opportunity to choose color fabric content, weight or thickness, and dimensions.

If you really want to make fast money crocheting, do the little things. Buy a bag of 12 pairs of infant girls socks and crochet decorative edging on it, or get a small plastic picture frame, glue some crochet trim on it and sell that. That might at least feed your stash. :)

And it may be that crocheting a peekaboo bikini will sell these days more readily than a doily.:):)

The pricing is always what keeps me from even trying to sell my work. I never know how to price things that won't offend people, haha.

However, I had a co-worker (who is really like family) ask me to make her an afghan. I told her sure, but she had to pay for the yarn. She said, "What about if I paid for the yarn and the number of hours it took you to make it?" I kind of just looked at her like she was crazy. Up until this point I had never thought of charging hourly. Unfortunately, I never ended up making her one because I was too busy with school (full time student in college here) and work.

My point is, there are SOME people who do appreciate and understand the time and effort that goes into a large project.

And Teresa, I am surprised that the people that go to the craft fairs don't want to pay what you're asking. I figured the people that go to those fairs understand how priceless handmade stuff is these days.

Hi there, I honestly thought that this kind of behaviour would belong to a 3ºworld country -(I am Brazilian and talking about my own country), where there are many people out of school learning hand made art to get by,so they charge too little money for their work which took several days. I did not have time to read all the comments here, but the ones I did give me the impression that every where there is someone trying to make our time as a crafteer seem less important than their own as something else. Shame on it!

I too struggle with what to charge for my crochet items. I like the formula Teresa gave and am currently re-evaluating my prices because yarn prices have increased in my area. I try to make items that will only take 3 hrs or less to make, I work to get yarn on sale whenever I can and find ways to make my items unlike something you could get in a big box store. I also try to offer items in a variety of prices so that they are accessible to most people. I would caution about pricing your items too low -- sometimes people will not buy them because they perceive a cheap price as cheap quality.

I sell items at my Etsy shop and I'm always trying to stay priced under the "expensive" boutique-ish shops. I'm finding this really difficult to do however. Consider the cost of materials, your Etsy bill for listing the items/advertising, packaging, shipping materials and the cost of shipping, this all comes to a pretty penny, and thats without any consideration given to the time it takes to make an item!

I have been told by several customers that I could charge more. I have a hard time doing this with the economy right now, as well as knowing that someone could go get an item at Babies R Us for much less.

I do think I am going to start charing a little more since this is now takinag so much of my time and money, but I hate to think that I'm pricing myself out of business. I'm anxious to see how my sales increase/decrease as a result...

I have been told to charge 3 times the cost of the materials. This was the breakdown explained to me, 1/3=materials, 1/3=labor, 1/3=profit. However, I like the idea of charging per hour because some items take longer than others.

I completely agree with what you are saying. I have recently been thinking about selling some of my wares and I'm completely lost on the pricing. I felt bad when thinking of charging people more than my material cost but it IS work so that has to be charged as well.But knowing that there are others who are feeling this way and who want to change it makes me feel more confident.We certainly do need to be more appreciated, there is much talent and care that goes in to our work.Luckily I have friends who love my things so that boost my confidence. We need to get out there and spread the crochet word!I would also like to thank you Teresa you have helped me crochet so much. I love watching your videos they are so hypnotic!

When I list an example of my work on my Facebook page I also let people know how long it took. I made my niece a receiving blanket and her Mum was blown away that it took approx 20 hours to make. Until then she thought it was just a wool blanket, when she understood how long it took and the quality of the wool I used she got a better appreciation for it. I think informing customers is key for them to understand the true value.

Crochet it undervalued but we, the Crocheter, too undervalue our own worth! How many times have we lowered our price because we didn't place a true value on our own time and more importantly our Talent - remember not everyone can crochet!

I've been doing what Teresa suggested I've increase my prices to better reflect my skill and time. I hope you will too.

Often I give my crocheted items as gifts because, as often stated, people don't want to pay what the work is worth. A friend asked me to crochet a baby blanket for her to give someone as a gift. I told her I would do it for $25. She said "$25??? I'll make it myself." I said that was fine....she didn't make it and too the yarn back for a refund. I think $25 was very much underpriced but as a friend I was giving her a discount. Someone else told me that I should consider how long it takes me to complete an item and think about what minimum wage is and use that to determine the price...so if it took me 48 hours to make something and I charged minimum wage ($7.55 hour) times 48 hours the item would cost $362.40 or I suppose it could be rounded up to $363 or down to $362. Either way not many people would consider an afghan to be worth that much. I would rather give them as gifts to someone who would appreciate it than to sell it for $20.

I earn my living with my hands and find people always want to pay less than you ask, even if you ask little. They argue we enjoy what we do, so why should they pay, or that Far East imports are handmade and so cheap. Sure. But if you want my time, my skill and my ideas, there is a price. I charge for materials and for the hours. I explain where the price comes from. I try to be the best with my work. On principle I will not work free. It insults the skill, be it crochet, sewing or whatever. Don't be afraid to ask a fair price. People will pay nothing if you let them and laugh at you for it.

It is hard to put the price for the things we create also requires talent.

I think what ever price makes us comfortable it will be the price. On the other hand, all sellers are trying to sell what they make almost at the very same places,(ebay, etsy, artfire, dwanda and few more) it can be really hard to sell when they price theirs a dollar less than yours:( , it already is difficult to sell during this econimic condition but I am trying:)

I believe I sold several hundred thread doilies (ebay), I am ready to close my store there, now I am trying on Etsy.

Yes, people are saying that we are underpricing our work, I think they are right.

I have been having trouble figuring out what to charge people for my afagans. I have alot of people ask what would you charge for something like that. and I dont know what to say because I have never sold one. I have always just made them to give away. My grandma told me to charge the cost of the yarn time what I make in 1 hour at work. Then add $20-$25 dollars depending on how difficult the pattern was. It usually takes me a week to week and a half to make like a crib size blanket. So like the 1 I just finished is a net stitch with hearts. And I did the math like my grandma had said and it just sounds really really expensive. $18(price of yarn)x $9(what I make an hour at work)=$162 and I really dont think anyone would pay that much.

For crib size, you could start at a base price around $45. I would start at a base price of $65 for an adult size but plan on adjusting up in to the triple digits. To many crocheters ask to little for their work.

I've recently started crocheting an afghan, and that got me thinking about the price that would be charged for something that big. I live in Australia, and the afghan I'm making is a Wool Eater Afghan. I can only assume it's so-named because of the sheer amount of yarn (or wool) it takes to make the piece. I'm using Caron Simply Soft to make it, which retails here for between $4 and $6.60 per ball. I want to make the afghan big enough for a king sized bed, which is going to take a lot of yarn and a lot of time. If I were to sell something like that, I could not charge any less than $100, simply because it wouldn't be worth my while to sell for less than that. And it frustrates me that people wouldn't understand, and simply wouldn't buy the product because they think it's overpriced...

I have been crocheting for years, and it is so hard to sell it. I showed a crocheted rose made into a ring to some friends, they all went gaga over it until I told them what I wanted for it. As they scoffed, I asked them if they had any idea how much time and skill went in to making the ring (my own pattern) not to mention the yarn. It was half the cost of a carton of cigarettes, which a few of the people who "just LOVE" the rings buy at least once a week. It made me feel bad that they value their cheaply made costume jewelry and cigarette habit more than true craftsmanship. I think, as stated above, people think of it as an easy hobby which isn't worth actual money.

I asked them if any of them could do it. Sheepish crickets is what I heard.

I have struggled with this pricing issue for a while now. I sell at fairs and shows and online. I am truly tired of under pricing, and therefore undervaluing my work. I thought I might have hit upon a formula to price my items that takes into account the time involved without actually charging by the hour. It was pricier that I had been doing in the beginning. (I used materials times 3).

But, I DO firmly believe that until we start valuing our work, no one else is going to either. Sure, I crochet because I like to. It's a passion with me and I "have" to do it. But why is that different from the painter or sculptor that has to do it? Why should my work as a fiber artist be less valued?

People will always buy the knock off at Walmart or somewhere. The imported crocheted item or the reprint of a painting.

I am in the process of reevaluating my pricing. I struggle still with what I am coming to believe we, as artists, should do and how I that should reflect in my pricing. I haven't changed things as of yet but I expect to do so.

I do believe that we only hurt ourselves and other fiber artist by under pricing. My husband has told me for years to quit giving my things away. It wasn't until I started selling at fairs and such that I finally started to believe in myself. My work is NOT something you can get just any where. And now, as each person who picks something up and puts it down because they say it is too expensive with a snarl on their face(and you learn to tell the ones who truly don't have the money but would buy if they did) I believe more and more in myself and my art form as a whole. My prices are NOT to expensive they are generally too cheap and this person should have bought it at the cheaper price while they still could.

I will give each item to someone I know that will appreciate it as a gift before I give it to someone just because they think it is priced too high.

A co-worker asked me to make 2 hats for her daughter, after seeing online pictures of hat patterns I'd made. (Not even MY work, just pictures with the patterns!) I'm thinking of charging her $6 per hat. I used about 1/3 of a skein of small Red Heart Super Saver for one, and about 1/4 (or even less) of a skein of Caron One Pound for the other. They both turned out really really cute, but I just don't feel right charging more. Even $7 per hat feels like too much, considering that I used about $1 to $1.50 worth of yarn, and they took about 2 hours each to make. My biggest regret is that I didn't start earlier before Christmas...I could have turned out a bunch more. I love making hats!

After reading through all these comments, I believe the 3-times-the-cost-of the yarn is a fair price. Larger items will take more yarn, which will naturally bring the price up. Although, now that I think about it, I would never pay $15 for a scarf made from one skein of Lion Brand Homespun yarn, myself. Sheesh, it really is hard to price it, isn't it?

Extended or Long Double Crochet - This is where you will work a double crochet several stitches below the row you are on. You will need to pull up on the stitch and allow for some additional yarn, so the stitch does not sag.

Multiple: 4
You will add 4 chains for each segment of the pattern stitch that you want to add to the width.

Example: If you want to make a baby afghan with a size I/5.5mm crochet hook, 4-ply yarn, you will chain 108. This will give you an estimated width of 34 inches.

Ch 31Row 1: DC in 3rd CH from hook, DC in next CH, *CH 1, SK 1 CH, 1 DC in EA of next 3 CH. Continue across from * for width of pattern.

Drop Stitch - The drop stitch will be worked below the two previous row of shell stitches. Wrap the yarn over the hook, insert the hook 2 rows below, between the shell stitches, pull the yarn up. Repeat one more time for a total of 5 loops on the hook.

Row 1: DC in the 4th CH from the hook, DC in the next CH, Skip 4 chains, in the next CH(5th chain) work *2DC, CH1, 2DC, SK 4 CH's, Repeat from * across for the width, 1 DC in ea of the last 2 chains.

Row 2: CH 2, DC in the next DC, work *2DC, CH1, 2DC in the next CH 1 Space. Repeat from * across for the width, 1 DC in ea of the last 2 DC.